“Justin Bieber’s Believe” has so far brought in about $2.3 million since opening on Christmas Day–which isn’t even enough to place it in the top ten at the box office–but the backers of the singer’s film say that the rankings don’t tell the real story.

“Opening at No. 1 or No. 14 or No. 47 has nothing to do with a film’s profitability,” said Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films, the movie’s distributor.

Ortenberg said “Believe” cost less than $5 million to make, and another $4.5 million was spent to market the film. In part because the costs were kept relatively low–most studio films spend much more on budgets and marketing–he expects “Believe” to make a profit “well into the seven figures, which we’re very happy about. Any other concerns on the movie, frankly, aren’t any of our business.”

The movie wasn’t screened for critics in advance of its opening, something that is typically a sign that a studio has no faith in the critical or commercial value of its release. Ortenberg, however, said that “Believe” wasn’t screened for critics in an effort to keep costs down, since such advance showings costs “many thousands of dollars.” Read More »

Two weeks ago, actress and singer Patti LuPone grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of an audience member who was texting during a performance of her current play, "Shows for Days." The bold move led to an outpouring of support from fans fed up with glowing screens. Ms. LuPone gives us her five rules of theater etiquette.